Scientists have found key genes that affect crop cladding traits

The hull character of plant seeds refers to the characteristics that seeds are wrapped by hard glumes. Coated seeds will reduce the mechanical threshing efficiency and increase the labor production cost. During Mechanized Sowing in the field, the coated seeds are easy to stick at the gear and pipe outlet of the planter, resulting in uneven sowing.

The research team of the Institute of genetics and development of the Chinese Academy of Sciences found the genes that affect the envelope traits of sorghum and millet. The relevant results were published in nature communications, entitled: natural variation in glume coverage 1 causes taken grains in sorghum.

Through the application of genetics, bioinformatics and molecular biology, the research team found that the variation of glume coverage 1 (GC1) gene led to the bare character of sorghum seeds. Subsequent studies showed that GC1 protein could promote the proliferation of glume cells during the development of plant young panicles and make seeds produce cladding characters. At the same time, genes similar to GC1 were also found in millet and millet. Researchers found that nearly 40% of sorghum, most millet and millet and other germplasm materials showed serious cladding traits, which can be improved by molecular breeding in the future.

This study not only identified the key genes affecting crop cladding traits, but also provided new enlightenment for the breeding of excellent varieties of sorghum and other crops.